German Men's Choir Set to Perform Sept. 7 at TAMIU

On Saturday, September 7 at 8 p.m., deep bass tones
and golden tenor notes will fill Texas A&M International
University's Student Center Auditorium. The German
a-cappella group Arcanum Musicae will perform works
by Schubert, Brahms and Mozart. Admission is free,
but donations towards the German Flood Relief Fund
will be accepted.

The Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany,
Bernard Ben Buecker, from San Antonio, and TAMIU are
sponsoring the concert.

Arcanum Musicae (The Mystery of Music) is comprised
of male singers, all former members of the Dresdener
Kreuzchor, a world-famous boys choir.

Singers in the Dresdener Kreuzchor, which means Holy
Cross Choir, live, breathe and study music at a boys
boarding school in Dresden, Germany. Boys ages six
to nine are invited to audition for the Choir and are
selected for their beautiful singing voices and excellent
intellect. They then study music theory and music.
At the age of nine, they are invited to join the Choir
and from that time until their graduation prior to
entering college, share a strenuous schedule of study,
rehearsal and traveling tours.

The history of the Choir dates back to the 11th Century
when a chapel devoted to a piece of the true cross
was built in Dresden and choir boys were selected to
perform the liturgy. A school was created to train
and educate the singers in Latin and music. Since
then, the choir and its affiliated school have continued,
even during Nazi Germany and the Communist regime of
the 20th Century.

The 15 members of Arcanum Musicae are all graduates
of this famous choir and are sharing their music with
others in hopes of raising money for flood-ravaged
Germany. The August floods have caused havoc and destruction
in many European countries, including Germany, the
Czech Republic, Romania as well as in Russia. Across
Europe, over 100 people have died, 24 in Germany, and
in Dresden alone over 30,000 have had to flee their
homes. Damage in Germany is expected to be in the
billions of euros.

For more information, please contact the Office of
Public Affairs at 326.2180, visit our offices in the
Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268 or e-mail
pais@tamiu.edu.

University office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu